Jobs in Canada
A key reason that approximately 400,000 people from across the globe are applying for a Permanent Resident Visa to Canada each year is that there are jobs in Canada!
Canada’s expanding economy, combined with large numbers of Canadian workers retiring, has made this an excellent time to immigrate to Canada for many people.
This is because Canada’s government and businesses see the value of addressing growing labor shortages across Canada through Canadian immigration.
In other words, Canada has thousands of job vacancies to fill and immigrants are needed and wanted to secure these jobs in Canada.
Thus, with much of the world still struggling economically, increasing numbers of skilled foreign workers are thinking about applying for jobs in Canada as an attractive option for a better future.
Go Where the Canadian Jobs Are
Seeking Canadian employment can be compared to fishing: Just as a fisherman wants to go where the fish are to have the best chance of catching a fish, a skilled foreign worker may want to find out where there are particular types of jobs in Canada to increase his/her likelihood of obtaining Canadian employment.
Thus, when you look for work in Canada, keep in mind that the various Canadian provinces and territories have a range of unemployment rates which may affect your chances of finding jobs in Canada.
For example, British Columbia, Quebec and Saskatchewan often have the lowest unemployment rates of any provinces or territories in Canada.
On the other hand, some Canadian provinces or territories may have a higher unemployment rate than others, but they may also have larger economies that produce more new Canadian jobs overall than some of the provinces that may have lower unemployment rates.
For example, Ontario and Quebec have the two largest economies respectively which produce the most new jobs in Canada, even though there are other provinces that have a lower unemployment rate.
In other cases, particular cities in Canada may have very low unemployment rates, even though the province where they are located may have a higher unemployment rate.
For example, Trois-Rivieres (Quebec), Quebec City (Quebec), Sherbrooke (Quebec), and Victoria (British Columbia) are some of the Canadian cities with low unemployment rates which are also lower than the overall rates for the provinces where they are located.
Another factor to consider when seeking work in Canada is the demand for your occupation, since it may be in high demand in certain cities, provinces or territories in Canada, regardless of the overall unemployment rate in those locations.
For example, healthcare workers may be needed all across Canada; Vancouver is a major center for the Canadian television and film industry; key technology hubs in Canada are located in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Vancouver; etc.
In sum, one way to increase your likelihood of finding a job in Canada in your occupation is to seek Canadian employment in the provinces and territories where the highest number of jobs are being created and, ideally, where your particular profession is in the highest demand.
As you can read in the next section below, the Internet now makes it possible for skilled foreign workers to look for jobs in Canada from their home countries so that, hopefully, they can obtain qualifying pre-arranged Canadian employment.
Seeking Canadian Employment
If you are issued a Canadian Permanent Resident Visa, you will have a legal right to live, study and work in Canada long-term.
Among some of the most important decisions you will need to make as a new Canadian permanent resident include where to live and work in Canada.
Depending on which Canadian visa program you are approved for by Canada’s government (e.g., Federal Skilled Worker Program, Provincial Nominee Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, etc.), that choice may be made for you in advance.
For example, if you are approved for a work visa to Canada under the Provincial Nominee Program, you will need to find employment in a particular Canadian province that needs your skills.
In other cases, however, you may be approved for a work visa to Canada for a skill that is needed across Canada and so you will have to decide where to apply for jobs in Canada, which province or city you prefer to live in, etc.
Searching For Jobs in Canada
When it comes to searching for jobs in Canada, there are several resources available for immigrants.
One nice aspect of living in the Information Age is that you can search for work and apply for Canada jobs from anywhere in the world where you have access to the Internet.
In many cases, this will not cost you anything (for example, if you already have access to a computer connected to the Internet at your home, have a smartphone with Internet access, can use a family member’s or friend’s computer) or it may involve a minimal charge (for instance, if you have to go to an Internet café).
Ideally, you may be able to obtain a qualifying offer of Canadian employment before you actually immigrate to Canada so that you will already know where you will live and work in Canada, how much money you will earn, etc. (this could also get you more points for certain Canadian immigration programs, such as the Federal Skilled Worker Program or Quebec Regular Skilled Worker Program).
Popular video conferencing programs, such as Skype and Zoom, now make it possible to have a remote “face-to-face” Canadian job interview, but some employers may want you to travel to Canada for an in-person interview.
Some methods that many people use to look for jobs in Canada include:
- using online job search engines (Canada’s Job Bank is an excellent resource)
- checking Canadian job openings posted on news websites for various cities in Canada
- applying for a job in Canada on a company’s website
- sending a resume/CV to a business via email
- utilizing LinkedIn or other social media to network for jobs in Canada
- networking with family, friends or others who may know of a Canadian job opening
- getting help from Canadian government employment agencies
- receiving assistance from private organizations that help people find jobs in Canada
Jobs Canada Has to Offer
For those looking for work in Canada, the good news is that there are a range of Canadian job openings to fill all across this huge, beautiful country – tens of thousands of them!
To better facilitate filling these various jobs in Canada, different visa programs were created that correspond to the major categories of Canadian jobs:
- Federal Skilled Trades Program (for skilled tradespeople, such as carpenters, electricians, plumbers, welders and other skilled trades);
- Federal Skilled Worker Program (for high-demand professions that often require a university degree or other advanced training;
- Provincial Nominee Program (similar to the Federal Skilled Trades Program in seeking skilled tradespeople, but with an emphasis on meeting the demands for these trades in particular Canadian provinces where there is a high demand for these occupations).
As of 2020, approximately 79.1% of Canada’s workforce was employed in the services field, while about 19.4% worked in the manufacturing sector and 1.4% were employed in agriculture.
Canada Jobs Pay Well
Another reason that Canadian immigration is “hot” and attracting hundreds of thousands of foreign workers every year is that jobs in Canada pay well.
According to Canada’s Job Bank website (January 2023), the median annual salary (i.e., midway between the highest and lowest salaries) in November 2022 for various jobs in Canada were as follows:
Accountant ($73,843 CAD); Architect ($69,235 CAD); Audiologist & Speech-Language Pathologist $84,480 CAD); Civil Engineer ($82,560 CAD); Computer Programmer ($77,530 CAD); Construction Manager ($78,470 CAD); Crane Operator ($65,280 CAD); Dentist ($118,394 CAD); Dental Hygienist ($74,880 CAD); Dietitian ($72,960 CAD); Electrical Engineer/Electronics Engineer ($83,078 CAD); Electrician ($57,792 CAD); Elementary/Primary School Teacher ($79,123 CAD); Financial & Investment Analyst ($72,864 CAD); General Practitioner/Family Physician ($216,833 CAD); Glazier ($54,394 CAD); Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanic ($66,144 CAD); Human Resources Manager ($97,843 CAD); Ironworker ($53,165 CAD); Land Surveyor ($57,600 CAD); Logging Machinery Operator ($53,165 CAD); Machinist ($52,512 CAD); Mechanical Engineer ($78,777 CAD); Occupational Therapist ($79,334 CAD); Oil & Gas Well Driller, Servicer, Tester and Related Workers ($76,800 CAD); Optometrist ($86,115 CAD); Pharmacist ($104,646 CAD); Physiotherapist ($78,778 CAD); Plumber ($59,520 CAD); Psychologist ($83,520 CAD); Purchasing Manager ($96,000 CAD); Registered Nurse & Registered Psychiatric Nurse ($76,800 CAD); Retail & Wholesale Manager ($68,314 CAD); Secondary/High School Teacher ($84,403 CAD); Sheet Metal Worker ($61,440 CAD); Software Engineer & Designer ($94,810 CAD); Steamfitter, Pipefitter & Sprinkler System Installer ($77,683 CAD); University Professor & Lecturer ($103,392 CAD); Veterinarian ($85,074 CAD); Welder ($49,920 CAD).
These jobs Canada offers and their median annual salaries are merely a small sample to help illustrate the point that if you want to work in Canada, particularly in a high-demand occupation, the pay and benefits are very competitive with other developed countries, such as the United States.
Canadian Workers Enjoy High Living Standards
Although the US economy is much larger than the Canadian economy, people who live and work in Canada are actually better off in many ways than their American counterparts south of the border.
For example, a 2020 report by the London-based Legatum Institute states that Canada is ranked #14 in the world for prosperity, compared to the United States which was rated in 18th place on Legatum’s 2020 Prosperity Index.
As of 2020, the median net worth of Canadian households ($329,900 USD) was among the highest found anywhere around the globe, including the United States where the median net worth of households in 2020 was $121,700 USD.
In fact, people living in Canada became significantly wealthier during 2020, despite the economic disruptions associated with the global pandemic, and the extra cash Canadian consumers have available to spend is forecast to drive strong economic growth in 2021 and 2022.
In December 2015, TD Economics reported that Canadian workers between the ages of 25-34 (i.e., the “Millennial Generation”) also have a higher rate of home ownership than American millennials (i.e., 50% of Canadian millennials own their own homes vs. 36% of the young adults from the Millennial Generation in the USA who are homeowners).
Canadian residents are also entitled to free basic healthcare, while most Americans have to pay for basic healthcare.
The main point is that if you are looking for work, Canada has good paying jobs and offers a very high standard of living.
To find out if you qualify to live and work in Canada, click here!
Other Considerations
There are additional factors to consider when seeking employment in Canada.
For example, it will be important for you to have good English or French language skills in order to (1) qualify for a Canadian work visa and (2) secure a job in Canada.
Greater emphasis is now being given to English and French language abilities by the Canadian government in deciding on granting someone a work visa to Canada, so if you improve your skills in English or French (if necessary), you may increase your chances of finding work in Canada.
In other situations, your knowledge of a foreign language can be a plus since you may be able to speak to customers in their native language.
You should also have an up-to-date CV/resume written in English or French (one page preferred; two pages maximum) that is tailored for each company and position that you apply to and that is error-free.
Another consideration when seeking Canada jobs is whether your credentials, education or work experience will be recognized in Canada.
In many cases, an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) will be required for certain Canadian immigration programs (such as the Federal Skilled Worker Program) to assess to what extent your education/qualifications received outside of Canada are similar to those obtained inside Canada.
Having a positive/favorable ECA may also facilitate getting a qualifying Canada job offer.
Skilled immigrants who work in particular regulated professions (for example, physicians, nurses, dentists and psychologists) may also need to get licensed in Canada before they can start working.
Foreign skilled tradespeople should note that they will probably need to travel to the province or territory where they want to live and work in Canada get assessed for their trade and receive a Certificate of Qualification.
Your occupation, English and/or French language skills and other important factors are all taken into account by our authorized immigration consultants who we work with when they evaluate your eligibility to apply for a Permanent Resident Visa to Canada.
